Novémber, 1940
TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
406
If Americans would seek to apply spiritually t o 0 themselves the promises given to Israel o f old, they must remember likewise the divine require ments for blessing. If the things “ written afore time” are “ for our learning,” the commandments and warnings as tfell as the promises must be ac cepted when—
An American Gives Thanks
By W A L L A C E E M E R S O N * Los Angeles, California
I F WE as Christians were inclined to look upon the dark side, it would be easy to prove that day by day in every way things are getting worse and worse. We could look across the water to the east and find a Europe gradually falling under the domination of three individuals, none, of whom has any use for or understanding of Chris tian civilization as we know it. We read of the slaughter of thousands al most without a shudder, so frequently have we read and so inevitable has this phenomenon become. We could look to the west of us, and find that the most westernized of the orienfal races have made a shambles of city after city of the oldest civilization on earth, and have spread hopeless mis ery in a large part of Eastern Asia. They too have no use for Christian civi lization. We could recall that we live in a world where force and trickery, treach ery and violence have come to be the accepted mode. We live in an age whose gospel is not that enunciated by the four evangelists, but which draws its inspiration from the unmorality of Machiavelli’s Prince. We could say that we live in an age which will go down in history as one in which many of our spiritual leaders were apostate, our wise men our greatest fools, our young men without vision, our business ethics unethical, our governmental ar rangements short-sighted and oppres sive. All of these things would be true, and certainly no cause for thanksgiving. But there is, on the other hand, that which should make the heart of every Ameri can Christian rejoice.
First of all, I thank the Lord that I live in a land into which all of the nations of the earth have p o u r e d their children, have contributed their cul ture, and have brought their separate talents and racial contribu
tions. And Americans should be in a position above all peoples to under stand all peoples, to enjoy all peoples, and to have a tolerance for and love of all that is best in every race and in every culture. It is true that we have been so friendly to other peoples that our enemies have used it against us-— have even used this tolerance of ours to set one group against another. But I thank the Lord that it is the genius of America to be the meeting place of all nations, analogous in this limited sense to that great city of God in which all of the nations go in and out, walk ing in the light of the city, which is God and the Lamb. “The Lord . . . gathered them out of the lands, from the east, fnd from the west, from the north, and from the south" (Psa. 107:2, 3). • I am thankful that we have been brought into a land that is indeed a goodly heritage, one which is diverse in its climate and in its products, one that is self-sufficient as to its basic needs; a land in which wheat fields wave over layers of coal; in which orange groves bear fruit over the oil of hidden sands; in which thé forests [Continued on Page 414]
Let This Nation Beware! “Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping -his commandments. . . . Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multi plied; then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God. . . And thou say in thine heart, Aijty power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. “But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: .for it is HE that giveth thee power to get wealth. . . . And it shall be, If thou'do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them . . . that ye shall surely perish . . . because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God” (Deut, 8:11-14, 17-20).
'President: W estm ont College.
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